New Senate Bill Would Block Drone Exports to Hostile Middle East Countries
Five senators introduced a bill to strengthen export controls on certain unmanned aircraft less than a month after the State Department loosened them. The measure, introduced Aug. 6, would block exports of certain drones to all countries except NATO members, Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The senators said the legislation is designed to restrict sales to hostile Middle East countries, such as Saudi Arabia.
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“Selling weaponized drones into the Middle East could come with disastrous consequences,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who introduced the bill along with Mike Lee, R-Utah; Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; and Chris Coons, D-Del. “If we allow [President Donald] Trump to start selling drones, we set a dangerous precedent that allows and encourages other countries to sell missile technology and advanced drones to our adversaries.”
The bill would amend the Arms Export Control Act to block exports of advanced drones with a range greater than 300km or a payload greater than 500kg. If signed into law, the legislation would increase restrictions on a July move by the State Department to replace its presumption of denial for exports of certain drones in favor of a case-by-case review (see 2007270035). The move was a departure from controls on drones imposed under the multilateral Missile Technology Control Regime, which the White House called “outdated.”
Murphy said the MTCR has “worked for decades.” The president, he said, “is willing to blow it up in order to continue the blank check approach he has taken with Saudi Arabia and the [United Arab Emirates].” Lee, Sanders and Coons said they are concerned that the loosened restrictions announced by the State Department would lead to more Middle East violence and prolong U.S. military involvement there, and called for more congressional oversight of U.S. arms sales.